fellowship with God, we must walk in this light; and "that the blood of Jefus Christ cleanseth those only "that walk in this light; and that religion without it is "a lie," John i. To which let me add, That in his book of Revelations, confonant thereunto, he faith, "That the nations of them that are faved fhall walk "in the light (of the lamb)." Rev. xxi. 23, 24. The apostle Paul makes it univerfal and effectual, in his epistle to the Ephefians, chap. v. 13. "But all things that "are reproved (or difcovered) are made manifeft by the "light; for whatfoever doth make manifeft is light." Now all being reproved, all have light; and fince that light manifefts every thing that is to be known, Christ bimfelf was known by it, and the religion he taught discovered by it to be of God; and fuch only received him and it, as obeyed this light in their consciences. The fame light is by the fame apostle rendered the Chriftian's armour; "And let us put on the armour of "light;" fays he, "let us walk honeftly, as in the day; ἐσ not in rioting and drunkennefs, not in chambering " and wantonnefs, not in ftrife and envying; but put

ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and make no provision "for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof:" making it the fame thing to put on the armour of light, and to put on the Lord Jefus Chrift; certainly, then, Chrift must be that light, and that light must be Chrift. But he objects to this doctrine.

Page 11. The Chriftian religion is nothing but the Service of Jefus of Nazareth.-Nothing, then, can be the rule of this religion, but what difcovers to us that there is one fefus of Nazareth, and that he is Christ the Lord. But never was any one man instructed by that light that is in the confcience of every man, that there ever was fuch an one as Jefus of Nazareth, much lefs that he was the Lord, and leaft of all what he required of his fervants: therefore no light within, common to all mankind, can be the rule of the Chriftian religion; fince it was never poffible for any man to

learn

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learn the least part of the Chriftian religion by the light that is in every man's confcience.'

To the first part of what he says, That the Chriftian religion is nothing but the fervice of Jefus of Nazareth, I fhall easily agree: for the fervice of Jefus of Nazareth, is the fervice of the God and Father of Jesus of Nazareth; and that is, " to fear God, and keep his com"to "mandments; and to love God above all, and our "neighbours as ourselves; this is the whole duty of man,' Eccl. xii. 13. Matt. xxii. 37, 39. that which man has to do in the world for falvation.

To the fecond part of his propofition, viz. That nothing can be the rule of this religion, but what discovers to us that there is one Jefus of Nazareth, and that he is Chrift the Lord,' I fhall likewise agree, upon distinction. I diftinguish, then, between an historical and fpiritual discovery of Jefus of Nazareth; and fo of the rule by which he and his fervice are to be known. The fcriptures tell us of the birth, life, miniftry, death, refurrection, and afcenfion of Jefus of Nazareth; and, in brief, of the miniftry and fufferings of his bleffed followers and apoftles; and it must be acknowledged to be a great mercy and privilege to us, that we have them: but they cannot favingly reveal Chrift to a foul; neither can they give us the foul and substance of those things that are thereby declared. They are an exact map, or picture of things, but not the things themselves. It is the office of the divine light and spirit of Chrift to fhew men these fecrets; and to none are they, or can they be known, but thofe that walk according to the convictions of it: firft, "In ceafing to do evil, and denying all ungodlinefs and the world's lufts;' and then, “in learning to do well, and living foberly, "righteously, and godly in this prefent world." So that those that read the fcriptures of truth, by which they have an biftorical knowledge of the coming of Christ, and fo are a rule to that knowledge, as alfo to the doctrines therein exprefly declared, they must come to the light of the eternal word to understand them, and to fee the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father,

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as thofe of old beheld it; elfe the fcripture is as a fealed book. Who knows God, by reading of him; or Chrift, by reading of him; or regeneration, by reading of it? unless God is pleased, by the light of his Son, the true "Key of David," to come in upon the foul, and open to it the deep things of God, viz. the new creation, or the regeneration, of man. Wherefore the light or Spirit of Chrift, (which are the fame) is the first great rule; even the rule of understanding the fcriptures, which we own to be the fecondary rule: and we say, That a measure thereof is given to all to profit with; to lighten all, and fearch and lead all in the way of holiness, which is the way of eternal happiness. His minor propofition I muft deny, viz. But never was any one man instructed by that light that is in the confcience of every man, that there ever was fuch an one as Jefus of • Nazareth, much less that he was the Lord, and leaft of all what he required of his fervants.'

In this I must diffent from him, efpecially as to the latter part: for though, as I have already faid, the fcriptures are an biftorical rule, and doctrinal too, fo far as they are plain and exprefs; yet the trueft and most powerful evidence to authorize our belief of them, is the teftimony of the light and spirit of the eternal word, from whence they came, and that answers to its own. This the martyrs afferted, as Hooper, Bradford, Smith, Saunders, Rogers, &c. alfo Calvin, Beza, Peter Martyr, and Erafmus himself, refer to it in proof of the divine authority of them; as may be feen in the "Book of "Martyrs," as alfo in the writings of these authors upon the "authority of the fcriptures." But if the light we contend for does not ordinarily reveal the history of Jefus Chrift, who dare fay it cannot do fo? Is it not more reasonable to fuppofe that there may be no abfolute neceffity of it; fince then God would have left much the greatest part of the world without the means of falvation? Yet if it reveal that which he commanded his fervants both to practife and preach, it overthrows his propofition; and plainly proves that the foul and fubtance of what Chrift commanded his followers, is

revealed,

revealed, more or lefs, to all people, in all nations, by this defpifed light within. And, befides experience, (which I fhall anon come to) the holy fcriptures fpeak as much; for, fays the prophet Micah, (Micah vi. 8.) "God hath fhewn to thee, O man, what is good; and "what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, " and love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Here is both duty, and the way to understand it. Now this duty and fervice, is the fervice of God, and fo of Jefus of Nazareth, who came to teach men fo to do, viz. "To do justly, love mercy, and walk bumbly with God." The way to know and do this, is God's illumination of man. "GOD has hewn unto thee, O man!" How does God fhew man?" Whatsoever makes manifeft is light," fays the apoftle Paul to the Ephefians, Eph. v. 13, 14. So that it is by the light of the word, by which he made all things, that he fhews unto men all things neceffary to falvation, viz. "What is good, and what "he requires of him:" what fervice, homage, and obedience he expects. So that here we have both the univerfality and fufficiency of the light. Correfponding herewith is that great faying of the fame apoftle to the Romans, Rom. i. 19. "For that which may be known "of God is manifeft in them, for God hath fhewn it " unto them." Which way, I pray, does God manifest the knowledge of himfelf in men, but by the light of the bleffed word, by whom he made man, and without whom nothing was made that is made? "In him was "life, and that life the light of men; and this is the "true light that enlightens every man that cometh "into the world." John i. 4, 9.

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Now that the Chriftian religion is this duty, fervice, and knowledge of God, we may fatisfy ourselves, from that bleffed fermon of bleffings, preached by Chrift upon the mount, Matt. v. "Bleffed are the poor in

fpirit; bleffed are they that mourn; (for their fins, " and for want of feeling peace with God) blessed " are the meek; bleffed are they that hunger and thirst "after righteoufnefs; bleffed are the merciful; bleffed << are the pure in heart; bleffed are the peace-makers;

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"and

"and bleffed are they which are perfecuted for righte"oufness fake." If thefe ftates were bleffed, and those who were under thefe bleffed qualifications; then, to be fure, fuch were in the fervice of Jefus of Nazareth, though he was not then offered-up, and that they knew not his history. Now that all have a light to fhew them the happiness of these states, the universal teftimony of all ages and nations affures us; and, to deny it, is to fay, The fun did never fhine, fince there was a man

in the world!'

The fame may be faid of the reft of his excellent fermon: As that we should seek God, in the first place, ⚫ and trust providence for the rest, and live by faith in his goodness; be charitable and devout without oftentation: not fo much as luft in the mind, and speak truth without an oath; bear abufes; forgive enemies; be fparing of cenfuring others; and finally do, as well as hear, the word of God, and to all men ' as we would be done to.' Thefe excellent things, more naturally and excellently expreffed in that fermon, than in the writings of the moft enlightened Gentiles, are yet to be found up and down in the account given us of their lives and doctrines by Strabo, Laertius, Herbert, Stanly, Cudworth, and my part of the Christian Quaker. By all which it may be feen, that the bleed word, who did himself preach fo plainly and fully, yet concisely, this admirable doctrine, had enlightened thofe Gentiles with great knowledge, and inftructed them therein; and that, feveral hundred years before he came in the flesh. I hope the keeping of these commands, and obeying the precepts of Jefus of Nazareth, will be allowed to be the fervice of Jefus of Nazareth, or else nothing is; and if fo, then I must conclude, he may be ferved and obeyed of those that are not acquainted with his coming in the flesh, and becoming perfonally an holy minifter among the Jews, and, in conclufion, an holy offering for the world. For it is very poffible that a man may receive benefit by a medicine, of whose compofition he may be ignorant. And in general pardons, it is not commonly known, by those that fenfibly

have